This invention relates to a dye receiving sheet, i.e., a sheet to be heat transfer printed, which is to be used for image formation according to the sublimation transfer method, more particularly to a dye receiving sheet of excellent dye dyeability and/or light resistance (weathering resistance) of transferred image to be used in combination with a heat transfer sheet.
Attempts are being made to heat a heat transfer sheet having a dye layer containing sublimable disperse dye formed thereon in dot shapes corresponding to image signals by a heating printing means such as a thermal head and form an image comprising the dye migrated from the above heat transfer sheet on the surface of a dye receiving sheet.
However, in the heat dye receiving of the prior art, dyeability of the dye is not necessarily sufficiently good, and when an image with high density is desired, a correspondingly excessive heat content is required during printing. For this reason the energy load on the thermal head is inevitably increased, whereby the thermal head driving voltage becomes undesirably great.
Also, in the dye receiving sheet of the prior art, light resistance and weathering resistance of the image formed have not been sufficient, and sharpness of the image once formed can be lowered or discolored with time. This may be considered to be because of the existence of the dye migrated from the heat transfer sheet side by the thermal head, etc. in the vicinity of the surface of the receiving layer of the heat transfer sheet, which particularly affects susceptibility to light or humidity.